


Of sleep and a pure conscience

by librarius



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Meditation, OC, Personal Demons, assholes, problem solver, pure conscience (mentioned)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 04:37:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7962745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/librarius/pseuds/librarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kylo Ren hasn’t slept for days. This has a bad influence on his abilities, so Leader Snoke assigns a “problem solver” to take care of this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New personnel of unknown task

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it turned out completely different than planned or thought of in the beginning. Oops.

**Chapter I**  
**New personnel of unknown task**

 

Personnel always changes, even on a long trip, and although everything is supervised at every moment, and all information always ends up in Hux’ hands, sometimes not every single thing is as clear as it better be. This time a mystery set foot on his ship. Its name was Calliope Anfour and she was listed as part of the medical team as well as marked as an access all areas officer. As soon as he had seen that, Hux had ordered her to the bridge.  
Anfour was a woman of lesser height – almost two heads smaller than him. But there was something about her. Hux wasn’t quite sure why he had a feeling of uncertainty grasping him the moment she entered and set her clear grey eyes upon him.  
“General Hux”, she said, voice smooth and steady.  
“I wonder what your mission is. Medical team with access all areas.” He didn’t care to waste time on courtesy.  
She nodded. “I am here to meet Lord Ren.”  
“What for?”  
“You may discuss that with Leader Snoke. He asked me to.”  
_Asked?_ “Well, I need a bit more than that.”  
“Your next conversation with him will be tonight, so if you will be patient until then – I will not start my work here until it is confirmed by Leader Snoke and Ren is informed. I apologize for the inconvenience meanwhile.” Her whole appearance was that of an officer, although her black uniform had no insignia and broke with the New Order conventions only because of thin white cuffs.  
“Report to me at 0800”, he ordered.  
“Yes, Sir.” She turned and left the bridge. Hux turned his attention back to the data pad he had held onto the whole time. The information on her included a picture that could easily have been taken just a second ago: Same uniform, same holster – although on the bridge she had been wisely unarmed. The info itself was very little: Not even her age (about mid-thirties) nor her training was listed, only her clearance. He frowned. Leader Snoke would enlighten him in about two hours.


	2. No answers

**Chapter II  
No answers**

 

The audience with Leader Snoke didn’t really help. Hux ended up with no more information on Anfour than he already had while Snoke let the woman take part and overhear everything else they talked about. Ren was nowhere to be seen, but that would change soon: “Take her to Kylo Ren”, Snoke had ordered, “and Calliope: Six days.”  
“Five, at most”, Anfour had answered. “I’d like to leave before we reach R16-9848.”  
“You will”, Snoke had replied and that was that. His hologram had faded and Hux stood there as if hit against the head. Few seconds passed.  
Then Anfour turned to him: “Will you guide me to Lord Ren’s quarters, General?” It was neither question nor demand.

After a while of walking next to each other in silence, the general spoke: “Why are you here?”  
“To meet with Lord Ren. Since Leader Snoke didn’t admit you into his confidence, my business with him is none of your interest.”  
Hux stopped. She looked at him, waiting. “I am in command of this ship, so everything possibly regarding it _is_ of my interest. Personnel included.”  
She shrugged. “I owe Leader Snoke a favor. I am good with people, and that is that. My work will not enlarge the specific impact of Ren’s presence here.” Indeed, Ren’s tantrums were a pain in the arse. His momentary seclusion was a relief on that behalf.  
The Knight’s quarters were just around the corner. Anfour knocked, then used an override code to enter anyway. When the door slid open, she said: “I am sent here to deal with Lord Ren. If I have to deal with you also, Snoke owes _me_ one in return.” Then she entered through the door and Hux, not interested in overhearing the presumably explosive reaction of Ren’s, left.

She found Kylo Ren in his shaded quarters, standing on the opposite wall in full armor. She had seen his intimidating figure the moment she had entered, but didn’t address him until the door hat closed shut behind her. “Hello”, she said. “Pardon me entering uninvited. Leader Snoke gave me the code.”  
“What do you want.” He didn’t move. Snoke himself had informed him somebody would come by and take his time, but nothing else.  
“May I sit down” she asked and did so in a blink of an eye, not waiting for his permission or denial. Ren crossed half the distance, hand next to his lightsaber, repeating the question. His tone, even through the mask, had gotten angrier.  
“You haven’t slept in days”, she simply said. “I’ll help you with that.”


	3. Approaching Hux

**Chapter III  
Approaching Hux**

 

The next time general Hux saw Calliope Anfour was an hour later in the wardroom, where she ensured having her meals brought to Kylo Ren’s quarters. She was still in once piece and seemingly without even a scratch, which was quite confusing given the company she’d been in. Hux caught her before leaving, demanding more information about herself. Although she answered his every question in a professional way, he had a feeling of repudiation from her.  
“You hate me”, he stated.  
Anfour hadn’t thought him being able to take it personally. “Not worth the effort”, she just said. To her, he really just wasn’t important enough to evolve such a strong emotion as hatred. She wasn’t here for anything but Ren.  
“What is it, then?”  
She looked him in the eyes. “If anything, I despise you”, she stated. “But that will not influence my work here.”  
For a moment he looked as if hit against the head again. When he opened his mouth to answer, she had already left the wardroom in the direction of Ren’s quarters. Ignoring the impression it might have, he ran to catch up with her again. “Explain yourself”, he demanded.  
She stopped and even let a few people pass by before answering. “I see your worth and your intellect, but the lack of real leadership style hurts my aesthetics. You would not be here at that young age if you weren’t elite, but do not overestimate yourself. The graveyards are full of people thinking themselves indispensable.”  
“What about yourself?” he managed to reply.  
“I am going to take care of my mission, then you’ll drop me at an inherited planet and go on about your business.” She paused, then added: “If you live long enough, you will become a Tarkin-class commander one day, but not very soon.”  
“So you’re here only because Leader Snoke has _asked_ you to”, he said.  
“That is correct.” She could see the choice of words put him off – _asked_ instead of _ordered_ – but she didn’t care.  
“And what exactly is your mission with Ren?”  
“None of your interest, as I already told you.”  
“I might be of help in case..-“ There she interrupted.  
“In case he gets to kill me it will also not be yours to take care of the remains. I thank you very much for your solicitousness. If I need anything, I’ll let you know.”  
Watching her leave, Hux realized what it was about her that had put him off from their very first meeting: Her attention lasted on the person she spoke to and the situation she was in _completely_. It felt as if being dissected by a scientist without knowing what the upcoming experiment would be like. She was as much _aware_ of things it made you feel uncomfortable to the bone.


	4. Approaching Ren. First night: Status quo

**Chapter IV  
Approaching Ren. First night: Status quo**

 

“Hux wonders what’s going on”, she said. Ren, rid of his mask, showed no reaction. He mistrusted the situation. So his Master had sent her, but he knew nothing about her. Just like Hux he only had the little information from the personnel database. He wondered if she would be more talkative during an interrogation. Not that there would be one, though.  
“If you have any questions about me, just ask”, she had said before leaving, giving him some time to settle with the situation. Leader Snoke had ordered to have her around for up to six days. She had said she planned on five.  
Kylo Ren sat on the other side of the room, back against the wall. He could feel the reassuring coldness of the metal through his gloves. The questions he had were mostly the same as Hux’ half an hour ago and she answered them all.  
“Calliope Anfour”, he finally said.  
“Kylo Ren.”  
“What will those five days be like, except for you residing in my quarters, stealing my time.”  
“I am a problem solver. At the moment, you’ve got a problem and I will help you get rid of it. I will help you sleep. Something causes the deprivation and that has an influence on your abilities. It’s time to fix that.”  
It upset him to have a random stranger say he needed to be fixed. But he was tired, too worn out by his lack of rest, to explode. Lucky her. “How.”  
“We’ll see. Tonight, we start with you doing everything just as usual and me having an eye on your sleep.” She cocked her head. “You look tired – shall we begin?”

It took some time for him to fall asleep. Calliope blamed that on her presence. Nobody could easily fall asleep with a stranger watching. Good for him was that simple biology worked: Not moving for quite a while made almost every organism doze off.  
She sat just a meter from his bed and listened to his constant breathing. So falling asleep was not the problem – and thus, drugs wouldn’t work. She had thought so. Staring into the dark, listening, she recalled the summary of recent events given to her. The hunt for a certain item, confrontation with the resistance, loss of Starkiller Base. There was more to it, she was sure. He had a burn across his face that looked not too old to her. It wouldn’t be odd if the answer laid right at hand.  
Not even a full cycle of sleep was granted to Ren. About an hour after falling asleep, his breath changed and he moved restless in his sleep. He woke up only minutes later. Anfour kept quiet to not interrupt and it worked about four times that night. Ren fell asleep again every time, but for less than an hour – sometimes not even twenty minutes – before tossing and turning. About four thirty in the morning he got up, restlessly roaming his quarters.  
When he stopped in front of Anfour, he realized she had been attentively watching him. The whole time, it seemed.  
“Has it been the same in the past nights?” she asked when he didn’t say a word.  
He nodded.  
She got up from the chair and stretched. “Breakfast?” she suggested.  
“When did you sleep?” he asked after ordering.  
“I didn’t.” And she wouldn’t until her task was fulfilled.  
“And what did you find?”  
“Nothing by now. I just needed to see what your deprivation of sleep is like. How long exactly does it last already?”  
When he told her, she arched a brow. “Without meditation your sanity would already be at stake. How about your concentrativeness?”  
“Meditation works.”  
She nodded slowly, thinking.


	5. Second night: Meditation

**Chapter V  
Second night: Meditation**

 

Hux took the chance to talk to her while Ren was in training. In fact, he had ordered her to the bridge and yes, he had been almost relieved that she obeyed.  
“I am to not leave the Knight’s side until I’m done here”, she told the general instead of reporting to him as she should have. “I have five minutes at the most.”  
“I wonder what it is about you that Leader Snoke sends you here instead of anybody else.” Hux said.  
Her reaction irritated him more than he would admit: “I do not question Leader Snoke’s decisions”, she simply replied.  
“Nobody in their right mind does. But I need to think of the security of this ship and I don’t like the thought of having you roam it without a clear order signed by me.”  
So he still couldn’t get over it, she realized. “You think I could be a danger?”  
“You could be anything. I would have never taken you aboard if it was not due to Leader Snoke’s order. But I do not think you’re here to babysit.”  
No expression moved her face. “I am a problem solver, General, not a problem. If I was, Snoke could _and would_ get rid of me easily, but he won’t. Even though I am not an officer of the First Order, I am not a threat. But I can come in handy sometimes, like now. That is why I am granted every access. I might not need it, but in case I do – that’s the way to go. Search the Hadrian archives for my name, if you need more information.”  
Hux didn’t like it, but Leader Snoke was wise and not to be doubted. He just wished he knew what was going on. _Hadrian archives_ , Hux thought unhappily. The one time he had heard about that it was a virtual market place for every- and anything from food to bounty hunters. No wonder he hadn’t checked it for the woman’s name by now: The general would have never thought to stumble upon Hadrian ever again. And especially he would have never thought Leader Snoke to accept personnel that was not from the First Order at all.

“Meditation works, you say. So tonight we will do that. Just a little different from what you’re used to.”  
Ren looked at Anfour with the same look he’d had from the beginning. He didn’t want her around, but he knew he had no say in that matter. And he knew he wouldn’t be able to go on like he did now forever. Meditation helped him stay focused despite the lack of sleep, but he felt it getting harder each day. “What do you intend.”  
“First you show me. Meditation. Then we find a way to alter it. To make you sleep more than an hour a time.”

After gaining insight in meditation of Force-users, which was in fact not too far from the kinds of meditation she knew, she taught him how to use a certain key word as an anchor or impulse to get into a state of meditational self-absorption.  
“Why a word?”  
“Because words are discrete. They exist outside the situation. It could also be a number or a complex form, but I have found that a word works best. It could be anything, from a name to a subject to an invented buildup of syllables. Choose, free your mind, and let only the word last. Then let it fade.”  
After a while, he realized it actually worked. The anchor word helped him reach the state of self-absorption easier and faster, but he still kept control over it. He looked at Calliope Anfour, sitting just a meter away, back upright and completely relaxed. Nevertheless, she never took her eyes off him.  
“So, how does that change a thing”, he finally said.  
“Tonight, you will feel relaxed due to the past hours of meditation we did. And if you wake up before time, use your anchor word to get back into that very state. From the state, let the word fade, and follow. You will fall asleep again faster and hopefully longer.”

It actually worked. That night, he did not wake just before reaching deep sleep, and the Knight also got back to sleep easier than the many nights before. He did not get rid of the tossing and turning part, though, and her full attention on his every breath told Calliope that the problem would not be solved by meditation alone. Something bothered him, something from the recent past she assumed.  
Well, she didn’t need to know what it was to find ways helping him cope with it. And she already knew what to do next.  
When Kylo Ren got up knowing he would not find any more sleep that night, she asked him to meditate “like you have learned it” right away. This way, the Knight’s day started a lot more relaxed than the past did.  
Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.


	6. Third night: Exhaustion

**Chapter VI  
Third night: Exhaustion**

 

“He is taking apart the control room”, Hux said. The Knight had not taken recent news too lightly, his reaction being no surprise but a real peeve to Hux – as always.  
“Rage, that is.” She turned to him, not even surprised to see the general. “What did you think I’m here for: Parent him to not explode anymore? I’m sorry to deprive you of that illusion, but that is not my task.”  
“What is your task, then?” He seemed to never get tired of asking again and again and again.  
“Not mine to tell you, General. But I can ensure you it is not to get myself killed by trying to stop a raging Lord of Ren in his anger.”  
“You’re standing there watching.”  
“I am.” The noise of the control room being smashed stopped. And so did the sound of Ren’s lightsaber. Anfour turned to face it again.  
Hux’ face behind her spoke clearly of his disapproval regarding her careless answer, but he had to respect Leader Snoke’s order. Otherwise he’d have her removed in no time. He left, infuriated. In the corner of his eye he saw her approach the now silent control room. If he didn’t know by now that Ren would not kill her, he’d assume she’d be dead in the blink of an eye. But of course, for whatever reason she wouldn’t be.

Rumor had it that Calliope Anfour was a personal counsel to Kylo Ren, listed as medical personnel for whatever reason. Her being seen everywhere the Knight was, supported that theory. Plus, nobody was too eager to know more about it – not with Ren’s temper being known to everybody aboard the ship.  
Nevertheless, the news of him not killing her in today’s outburst of rage travelled fast and caused astonishment within the crew. Usually everyone witness to such a tantrum would have taken to their heels. Everyone except Anfour.  
This way, a reputation formed, suggesting some strange and disturbing kind of power Anfour might have over the Knight.  
All this was nonsense, of course, and Hux knew the sole reason for Ren’s caution: It was Snoke’s order. Nevertheless, he hoped for the day this interlude would end and he could drop her on whatever inhabited planet in reach.

“Tonight, we will exhaust you”, she announced. “We’ll have a physical training to wear you out.”   
She set a disassembled blaster onto the table, and continued: “I will put the pieces together loosely. Lift it with the Force like it is then, and keep it in its instable form. Meanwhile we will fight hand-to-hand. You will not use the Force on anything than keeping the blaster lifted a bit over the desk. I attack, you defend – and then let’s see how things go.”  
He did as she told, lifting the blaster pieces above the desk and waiting for her to begin.  
Anfour’s attack came sudden and without further warning. The Knight had not expected her to have that much strength in her first strike right against his head. Blocking her arm came with a turn due to the force she had – and there she showed that it was not only unsuspected strength to her but also skill: She used his movement right away to weaken his steady position by taking his left foot off the ground. Of course, he didn’t fall. But he had to adjust his mind on her idea of exhaustion: Without using the Force, she would be no easy combatant.  
This evening’s training was of a completely different kind to Kylo Ren, and it really was exhausting. It became a true combat of attack and defense, giving each other no quarter. He knew that when using the Force, she would not have stood a chance, but that was just not what this fight was about. The Knight was astonished by her celerity and agility fitting her technique perfectly. In fact, the only moments he was close to overpowering her were when he could use his sheer physical strength – until she literally slipped through his grasp every time. Anfour seemed to have unlimited energy in fighting and more than once made him stumble or catch nothing but air where she had been a blink of an eye ago. They both knew it was due to his split attention: He had to keep the blaster pieces in their place at every minute. The concentration on this was a distraction of its own kind. Plus, he had to keep in mind not to hurt her. Anfour didn’t give him much chance to accidentally do so, but nevertheless, he had to keep that in mind, too.  
He hadn’t had an exhausting training like this in a long time. When the barrel fell to the table rattling, she took a step backwards, lifting her arms in a surrendering pose. Her attentive eyes watched him carefully. Both were taking deep breaths of inanition.  
“Your turn”, she said, changing into a warding position. This would be over only when he wouldn’t even be able to move a finger.

Calliope Anfour could distinguish nightmares from sex dreams and in tonight’s first cycle of sleep Ren’s breath and heartbeat spoke loudly of the second kind. It was a quite natural reaction of the subconscious to an amount of physical activity like they had exercised hour after hour before sleeping. The brain processed and changed and took control over said systems of oxygen administration. And it woke him right in the middle of whatever it had pictured, with an almost unheard moan, ragged breathing and raging heart. That, plus the confusion about it, had the Knight staring into the dark for a while. He didn’t dare to look into Anfour’s direction at all. Then he finally found his focus and reluctantly used last night’s anchor word to fall asleep again.   
The rest of tonight’s sleep was dreamless and, apart from waking two more times, undisturbed. Exhaustion had worked, in a way, but Anfour knew one more approach to end Ren’s disturbed sleep and thus induced deprivation.


	7. Fourth night: Demons and coping

**Chapter VII  
Fourth night: Demons and coping**

 

“What do you do, travel the universe singing people to sleep?” Kylo Ren was very disappointed with himself regarding a certain dreaming episode past night. Although Anfour hadn’t said a thing and also hadn’t been suggestive of having noticed anything, he was furious. Finally, his annoyance broke free in that question.   
It didn’t seem to bother her at all. “As I said: I’m a problem solver. I travel the universe helping people with anything, including their demons.” _Demons?_  
“Kill them, you mean. Kill their demons.” At least, that was a concept he could comprehend.  
“No. Everybody can do that – with drugs or such. But that’s no fixing, no healing.” She leaned in. “ _Control_ is the trick. Know your demons and control them.”  
Ren let that sink in for a moment. He wasn’t exactly a man of control. “What’s your demon?” he asked darkly. He didn’t wish to think of his nightmares right now.  
“I hate people.”  
“What people.”  
“All of them. Well… most. People are stupid”, she explained. “I hate stupidity.”  
“And what do you do against it?”  
“Nothing. I accept that most of them are. This gives me a new approach and more patience whenever I am right.”  
He kept silent for a moment. Then he asked: “Of what use if that for me?”  
Anfour leaned back. “There is something disturbing your sleep. It’s not physical, or you wouldn’t need my help. Whatever it is, you will not get rid of it by ignoring. It could be anything, a memory, a fear, even something positive although I doubt that. Find it, accept that it’s there, learn to handle it. If it’s a memory: Accept it; it’s gone and can’t be changed. A fear: Choose a logical approach. Get to yourself, through meditation or training, and while you do, identify what it is. Face it and find a way to cope with it.”  
She let her words sink in before continuing: “Find it while you are awake, awaken to it. We can also talk about it if you feel the need to.”  
“I don’t think so”, he said after a while. He probably knew what it was already, she thought. He just had been oblivious to it – by will, maybe.  
The rest of the day he spent in a mixture of meditation, training and exercise.

Kylo Ren woke only once that night, struggling with whatever it was that kept him from sleeping through the night. It didn’t keep him awake for too long now, because the anchor word worked reliably again.  
His posture in the morning told of the improvement clearly: Just three nights ago he had worn all signs of sleep deprivation, now they faded visibly. His appearance had changed a lot.  
“Problem solver”, he had to admit, and Anfour replied: “As I promised.”


	8. See if it works: Fifth night & departure

**Chapter VIII  
See if it works: Fifth night & departure**

 

When they nearly arrived at the bridge today, Anfour said “Let’s see where I’d like to be dropped off.”  
Ren, in full armor as he always was when leaving his quarters, halted. “Stay and see if it really works”, he said. She looked at him as if she could see through the mask.  
“I bet Hux prefers to get rid of me the sooner the better, but of course I will. We’re not done before your night fits my definition. Plus, I’d like to _choose_ where to leave on your route.”  
On the bridge, Anfour headed to the navigator immediately, asking him for their momentary position and a map of the route. Hux approached her, saying nothing but having a demanding look on his face.  
“Tomorrow I will leave you, general. Please drop me off at the Murray Mine.” Murray Mine was located on a moon, made into a holiday resort about twenty years ago. It was in reach also. Of course it was.  
Hux nodded to the navigator’s questioning face, so the man said “You can be brought there by midday.”  
Anfour smiled shortly. “Thank you.”

This night was the first continuous for a long time. They had exercised and meditated and he had become aware of his “demons”. They had been there all the time, and he even had been told about them, but until now he had always fought them. He had never tried to accept they were there. Now he tried to, and that helped him calm his uneasiness. Repeating the training she had pushed him through the night before last also helped. He wasn’t that exhausted as he had been then, but it was enough to fall asleep easily.  
Not even once did he wake that night. There was some tossing and turning, but Calliope hadn’t expected that to go. She could help him sleep, but not coming to terms with himself. Nevertheless, this fifth night was exactly why she had been assigned the job. The man slept, and he would be able to do that in the upcoming nights, too. _Mission accomplished_ , she thought. Snoke would find her being no more indebted to him.

Kylo Ren insisted on her being taken to the mine with his Command Shuttle. That gave Hux a break to think about what he had learned. After her mentioning the _Hadrian archives_ , he had taken to that source of information. What he had found, was an entry on “Calliope Anfour, problem solver”. The entry was blocked from a day before she had arrived at his ship, saying “assigned until available”. There was a contact section as well and a note saying that Anfour decided which mission to accept or to dismiss. _Problem solver_ , he thought. _Whatever that means._ It could be anything from painting a wall to killing people. But nevertheless, Leader Snoke had decided her to be the right person to handle whatever problem there was about Kylo Ren. It obviously wasn’t his tantrums, although that was the one unnerving problem he saw with the Knight.  
When said Knight informed him that their departure would take up to a day, Hux wasn’t even surprised. Illogical actions were just Ren. And Snoke always let him have them, for whatever reason. _Damn puppy_ , Hux thought disgruntled.


	9. Bonus: Calliope sleeps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little bonus chapter.

**Chapter IX  
Bonus: Calliope sleeps**

 

It really didn’t matter where she was dropped off: Calliope Anfour would always get by. But of course, Murray Mine was quite a nice place to be. Kylo Ren had insisted on bringing her to the resort with his Command Shuttle.  
“What are you going to do next?” he asked.  
With a hint of surprise, she set her grey eyes’ gaze on him. At least, he abstained from his mask. “Find a hotel room and a new problem to solve”, she said. “But first, I need to change.”  
And so she did. As soon as they landed, she left the ship and turned up again at the reception of the nearest hotel just 15 minutes later. Now she was dressed completely in white with a far more civilian posture. Not paying any attention to Ren, she used a computer terminal to update her profile’s data in the _Hadrian archives_. Now she would be “available in 24 hours”. Then she retreated to her room.

When the Knight of Ren entered her room uninvited just minutes after she had, Anfour called to him: “I’m on the patio. Is there any question left?” She sat on a deck-chair in the sunlight and didn’t even open her eyes.  
“When did you sleep?” he asked, approaching slowly.  
“Not since we met, but I will now. Why are you here instead of just dropping me off and heading back to the ship?”  
“Let me watch.”  
Now she did open an eye, looking at him carefully. After a moment, she turned her face away again, saying: “Do what you must, but don’t wake me. You have my permission for 10 hours. Take a seat.”  
Kylo Ren did and kept quiet, staring into space and listening to the light wind brushing through the decorative plants.

After a while, when he was sure she was asleep, Kylo Ren reached out for Calliope Anfour’s mind. He hadn’t done this until now, because there had been no need, no opportunity and, at the beginning, not enough concentration to him. Plus, having her complete and utter attention at each and every moment was a situation that had been unpredictable.  
But now her guard was down and he was curious about her mind. Not the contents, though, but the structure. His research had left him curious and since she didn’t talk much he felt the need to _read_.  
Calliope’s mind was calm and in a way structured he had never seen before. And she was dreaming – or something like that: pictures and emotions drifted through her subconscious like boats on a river. Some caught his attention, some just passed by unnoticed. Slowly, Kylo Ren drifted away on her visions, falling asleep without noticing, not breaking the connection. When she had told him to choose an anchor word as a shortcut into self-absorbing meditation, out of a clear blue sky he had chosen “Calliope”. Now his meditation mixed with the visions he could still see in her mind and he slept without even noticing coping with his very own demons.

 

_The end._


End file.
